I still watched it because it looked ever so slightly good enough to peak my interest. Never again will I be wooed by the MAPPA x Madhouse sirens.
Story: 2/10 The story in this anime just serves as an excuse to have a lot of fights and promote the mobile game. Technically this is a post-apocalyptic anime, but with the running water, electricity, cars, pristine suburbia, and plentiful food, it sure doesn't feel like it. There is a flashback to show just how bad it was before, but it's way too late in the series to have any impact.
The only parts that are dangerous are the poor road conditions and the strange-looking monsters. Hardly anything is know about the monsters - known as D2s - aside from what's revealed in the opening episode: they're big, they're bad, and they hate music (maybe they're going through a phase or some shit). Naturally our generic music-crazed protagonist has a problem with this. This serves to get the plot moving, along with the D2 version of a drone strike in episode 2. The story is hard to get invested in because while there are things that are unknown to the viewer, the characters and plot aren't compelling enough to want to uncover the truth. So the mystery just feels annoying, and when it's solved, it's painfully predictable.
Sound: 7/10 The sound is good enough. Since Takt Op. centers around music, one of the gimmicks is the inclusion of classical music during battles. It goes well enough, but it's not any better than other soundtracks from high-profile shounen. Voice acting is perfectly fine, and the battle scenes sound... "crunchy in a good way" I guess. There isn't a better term I can think of. The intro is a banger while the outro is just there. Not that much else to say, which isn't a good sign when the whole shtick of the anime is y'know: music.
Characters: 1/10 Takt, Destiny, and Anna; otherwise known as the one the really fucking loves music, the one the wants to rid the world of D2s, and the one that is fed up with the other two. Seriously, these three are flatter than cardboard. The character dynamics change ever so slightly through the series, but chances are you will not be invested enough to notice. Perhaps the writers aimed at "classic dysfunctional trio," but they ended up with "teeth-grindingly insufferable" instead. There are some uninspired and tropey side characters, a smattering of hot Musicarts (gacha game gonna gacha game), and a villain who's motivation is nonsensical even by anime standards. The characters eclipse the story as the worst part of Takt Op.
Art: 8/10 The animation in Takt Op. is the main selling point, and it does deliver. The American setting feels somehow even more American than the USA is in real life. This is thanks to great attention to detail and skill on part of the animators. The human characters wear outfits ranging from 1960's waitress dresses to a grey shirt and suspenders. Varied, but sometimes overly simple. The Musicarts on the other hand, are all some variation of badass battle girl, and have elegant and colorful designs to suit their (pretty cliche) personalities. The action is colorful, clean, and well-animated, and there is plenty of it, but the choreography of the fights is uninspired. Arguably the two most impressive parts of all the battles throughout the whole series are just some really flashy power beams that leave a scar in the landscape to show just how powerful they were. The art is the best part of this anime, but is not enough to save it.
Overall: 3/10 The main problem boils down to the fact that Takt Op. is just bland. I'm giving it a 3, which is not an average of the individual scores, but is a reflection of my overarching opinion. The art and sound are good, but the characters and story are very much not. It's like the creators crammed a delicious part and a distasteful part together and expected the good to overpower the bad. But instead it feels like you drizzled chocolate syrup on Brussel sprouts: it still ends up tasting awful. Please, avoid Takt Op. Destiny and watch something more deserving of your time.
